Rocky Mount, NC: To Pause At The Threshold of 2024

To Pause at the Threshold is a slim volume written by Esther de Waal. She writes about a traditional ancient wisdom that says, "A threshold is a sacred thing." It marks the end of one thing and the beginning of another, the places in between, the points of transition. Pausing after Christmas, I wonder what … Continue reading Rocky Mount, NC: To Pause At The Threshold of 2024

Part 3: Costly RM Downtown Plans Are Unnecessary-Ask Stepheny At No Charge

Stepheny's Free Plan calls for a sexy black book that, among other things, has the names and contact info of every out of town owner of Main Street commercial architecture. I would send them a collective weekly e-mail about anything that is positive, any progress being made around their investment with the intent of bridging … Continue reading Part 3: Costly RM Downtown Plans Are Unnecessary-Ask Stepheny At No Charge

Part 2: Costly RM Downtown Plans Are Unnecessary-Ask Stepheny At No Charge

The empty building, 146 SW Main, next door to Virginia's is owned by New Yorker, Robbie Hothan. He also owns the Coco-Cola building in town. The renovation is on hold after encountering mildew and taking flooring out that has not been replaced. The board over the broken window is a deep bruise that vandals caused. … Continue reading Part 2: Costly RM Downtown Plans Are Unnecessary-Ask Stepheny At No Charge

PART 1 – Costly RM Downtown Plans Are Unnecessary-Ask Stepheny At No Charge

Project by project, Rocky Mount is building anew, and preserving, restoring, and repurposing its historical commercial architecture. The by-line on this blog is honoring the past, building a future. It is amazing that wonderful things are happening in spite of how often we shoot ourselves in the foot. It is no secret that I can … Continue reading PART 1 – Costly RM Downtown Plans Are Unnecessary-Ask Stepheny At No Charge

Rocky Mount, NC – The Houses Are Beginning to Blink and Sparkle

Each year when I return from a mountain Thanksgiving, I anticipate my neighbors on either side to have worked their magic. Once again the hours of work produced a beautiful sight. I will enjoy this gift of light each evening. Below I'm sharing my tree with you from last year because this year it's going … Continue reading Rocky Mount, NC – The Houses Are Beginning to Blink and Sparkle

Let’s Keep Growing ‘Melons’In Rocky Mount, NC

Sasha had tried to plant melons in his vegetable garden, they had never grown. He had tried two years in a row, nothing doing, the melons refused to grow. The following year, he had thrown the rest of the melon seeds to the birds. Further away, at the back of the vegetable garden, where there … Continue reading Let’s Keep Growing ‘Melons’In Rocky Mount, NC